Pink Eyes – Does Rock’n’Roll Kill Braincells?

Testing musicians’ memories after a lifetime of abuse. This week we grill Fucked Up’s Pink Eyes

Your new album ‘David Comes To Life’ is set in the fictional British town of Byrdsdale Spa. Name an actual British Spa town.
“Oh my gosh. Leamington Spa? I’m going to leave it there rather than make up a bunch of fake ones.”Correct. Also Bath Spa, Cheltenham Spa, Droitwich Spa and some others

How much damage did Fucked Up allegedly cause when you played MTV Canada in 2007?
“It was $2,000-worth. The second time for bonus points is $9,000-worth. That one they sent us a bill for.”Correct

You have released five 12-inch singles based on the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac. Name five other signs of the Chinese Zodiac
“I grew up in a neighbourhood with a huge Chinese community so I should know these. Rat, Ox, Tiger, Dog and Pig were the records. There’s a rabbit and a horse. There’s a lamb? Or goat? No, a sheep. I think that’s my year. There’s also year of the dragon and year of the snake.”Correct. Also rooster and monkey

You’re from Canada. Name five Canadian musical acts that NME has actually heard of
“Ha ha! Alright. I can do this. Number one, our proudest achievement, Nickelback. Number two, our second greatest, a punk sensation, Avril Lavigne.. The rapscallions from Scarborough, Barenaked Ladies. Canada’s biggest hip-hop sensation, Dizzy Drake. The Dream Warriors with ‘Wash Your Face In My Sink’. I remember watching them on Top Of The Pops when my dad lived in England. Bryan Adams. Neil Young. Leonard Cohen… Canada! We produce the best and worst music in the world.”Er… correct!

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Pink Eyes is your stage name, but in what film are the following song lyrics quoted? “You’ve got green eyes/You’ve got blue eyes/You’ve got grey eyes/And I’ve never seen anyone quite like you before”
“It’s a New Order song. The movie is…High Fidelity?”Wrong. It’s from ‘Temptation’ by New Order, and Diane sings it in Trainspotting
“Damn it! You’re right. Trainspotting started this faux-Scottish scene in Toronto that was nauseating. [But] it’s a much better movie than High Fidelity.”

You released a cover of Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ in 2009, featuring Vampire Weekend and Broken Social Scene, among others. How many official versions of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ have there been?
“Official versions? Three.”Correct

The front cover of ‘The Chemistry Of Common Life’ features the rare phenomenon of ‘The Manhattan Solstice’, which is what, exactly?
“It’s also sometimes referred to as Manhattanhenge. It’s the time of year when the sun is positioned in such a way that the sun comes through the buildings in a corridor effect.”Correct

What was the name of the therapist who you spoke to when you and your wife appeared on an episode of the American reality TV show Newlywed, Nearly Dead?
“I’ve tried to wipe that show from my memory through a heavy regiment of marijuana. I’m going to say Dr Asshole.”Wrong. Gary The Therapist
“Gary definitely had some unresolved issues of sexuality. He talked adamantly about how heterosexual he was but he was obsessed with talking about other men’s penises and privates.”

Which of the following isn’t an actual band name? Holy Fuck, Fuck Buttons, The Fuck You Ups, The Exploding Fuck Dolls, The Fuckin’ Shit Biscuits, Fuck Pony, Fuckbomb, Fuck On The Beach, The Fucking Wrath, The Fucking Champ, Fuck A Duck?
“The Fuck Biscuits is fake.”Wrong. Fuck A Duck is fake
“That should be a real band. I’m a fan of most of those bands you went over.”

You released a single called ‘No Pasaran’, which is Spanish for what?
“They Shall Not Pass’. I picked up this amazing book on the Spanish Civil War last time I was at Heathrow, but I left it on the plane.”Correct

Total Score
7/10
“That’s better than I thought I’d do. I think my memory would have been way better if we had done this last year. I started smoking pot last year and I think that has affected it.”